Amendment To Extend No-Cost Abortion Services To Women In Northern Ireland Denied Debate

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 28 Oct 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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Debate on a proposed amendment that would extend England's no-cost abortion services to women from Northern Ireland was denied by the heads of Northern Ireland's four major political parties on Wednesday, the Economist reports. Abortion is legal in Northern Ireland only if a pregnant women's life or long-term health is in danger, and about 1,400 women from Northern Ireland travel to England for the procedure annually. No-cost abortions in England are provided to English, Scottish and Welsh citizens under the National Health Service, but women from Northern Ireland are required to pay at least 450 British pounds, or about $730, plus travel expenses to obtain the procedure.

Labour Party MP Diane Abbott, an abortion-rights supporter, said her support for the amendment was a matter of principle. "If I break my leg in Belfast, I can get it fixed on the NHS, but a woman there is not just prevented from having an abortion at home, she's not entitled to a free abortion" in England, Abbott said. Audrey Simpson, head of the Family Planning Association in Belfast, said she is "afraid a woman or young girl will die" from medication abortion drugs -- which are less costly than the travel expenses for an abortion -- purchased on the Internet. She added that these drugs can cause complications when taken without medical supervision (Economist, 10/25).

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